AN: Well, I've officially bled my store of chapters dry. I was trying to stay a few chapters ahead just in case I had a period where I didn't write anything and I've failed spectacularly. Ah, well. Hopefully I'll keep updating as regularly as I have been.
Okay, so, thank you to silverheartlugia2000 and SweetestChick for your reviews. Also, thank you to everyone who's followed/favourited so far - it really does mean a lot.
So this chapter starts with a flashback (uh, spoilers?) and I'm a little unsure about the format, so let me know what you think and if it's suitable/okay/whatever. Also don't forget to review to tell me what you think of this chapter - even (constructive) criticism is welcome! Now, on with the chapter. Enjoy!

Six – Dark

Dark is seven. He's on his way to see the Deku Tree with a frown unbefitting of someone his age on his face. It has been there too often lately, and everyone can tell something's wrong. Dark himself feels it most acutely; these days he's always restless, uncomfortable where he used to be uncomfortable, vaguely threatened where he always used to feel safe. Link can feel it too, almost as badly as Dark, and he's been asking so many questions that Dark can't answer because he just doesn't know what to say.

So he's headed to the Deku Tree, because if anyone can give him answers to his questions then it's that wise old tree.

However, as he approaches a voice stops him, because he knows to wait his turn and be patient. That doesn't mean he won't eavesdrop, though.

"Whatever is the matter, my children?" It's the Deku Tree. His voice, old and creaky, has always been reassuring to Dark but right now it sounds dangerous, like the cracking of a tree as its roots give out under a strong wind.

"We're worried, sir." A voice Dark doesn't recognise speaks and he peers round the corner to see a cluster of fairies hovering before the wise guardian of the forest, wings fluttering agitatedly. If even the fairies are worried, then perhaps it's not just Dark. Relief floods through him. Maybe something has entered the forest and set everything on edge. Maybe Dark just feels it more acutely because he's different. Link has tried to convince him otherwise but Dark doesn't believe him, can't believe him. It's glaringly obvious, after all.

"About what?" The Deku Tree creaks, which makes the fairies flutter more violently.

"It's almost time for Link and Dark to be assigned fairies but… well, some of us are a little worried we'll be paired with Dark." The fairy sounds like she's picking her words with care, as if she's thought about this for a long time. While the fairies stir anxiously Dark freezes, not even breathing. They're worried because of him? The warm relief is instantly replaced with something cold and hard. Pain twists in his chest, even though he doesn't understand. He knows he's different, but is it really so bad that it makes those bright, cheerful orbs worry?

"I do not understand," the Deku Tree says slowly. "Why do you feel this way?"

"We're- we're not sure ourselves," the fairy replies as Dark presses himself against the nearby wall, not wanting to listen but unable to tear himself away. "It's just that he- he scares us a little. He's a lovely boy, really, but there's something, well, dark about him. Dare I say it, evil even? And just like monsters attract other monsters… what if he brings evil to our forest?"

Dark can't bear to listen to any more. Yes, he knows he's different, but evil? A monster? What does that even mean? Is he putting the others in danger? Is he himself the danger? He doesn't understand, but it hurts. It hurts so much he can barely breathe, and he doesn't know what to do. Maybe he heard wrong? No, he knows he didn't. The fairies think he's evil. They think he's a monster. He heard it quite clearly.

There are tears in Dark's eyes and on his cheeks as he runs, fleeing to the darkest, deepest part of the forest he can find. He doesn't stay to listen to the Deku Tree as it defends him, not wanting to hear even that great, kind tree call him a monster. He hopes no one finds him, at least for a little while. He just wants to be alone. But he knows he'll be found eventually, and when he is he hopes it will be by his brother. Link always finds him.

It will be ten years before anyone from the forest sees Dark again.


The vase hit the wall with a loud crash, the pieces tumbling to the floor where they scattered in all directions. There was a moment's satisfaction before it vanished, swamped by the tight, heavy feeling in his chest. Clenching his hands into painfully tight fists Dark sank to the floor, leaning back against the wall. Dropping his head into his hands he tried to breathe past the anger, past the tension that he could feel in his very veins. He hated this, this feeling of being so out of control. Trying to contain it only made it worse, though. What was he supposed to do at times like these?

He should have known this was going to happen. He should have seen it coming. He should have been used to it by now, but he wasn't. And it hurt. Even after seventeen years it still hurt, enough to make him want to curl up, go to sleep and never wake up again.

Why couldn't he just leave well enough alone? Why had he still not learnt that helping people only ever got him pain, rejection and shame? Why could he still not accept that this was what he was, what he was always going to be? A shadow.

A monster.

Well, now he was back in his rightful place, inside the so called 'King of Evil's' castle. In the first corridor he had found that was empty.

When the spirit had escaped from beneath Kakariko Village he had fled, warping back to the castle because he had known that the blame would inevitably fall on him. After all, who better to accuse that the living, breathing shadow? If only he had had something to do with it. Maybe then he would have got more satisfaction from watching that stupid Sheikah get thrown around.

Pulling at his hair Dark sighed heavily, grinding his teeth in frustration. The tension was making him feel sick as it coiled in his stomach, filling him with the desire to break anything and everything. He was so fed up with everything. He hated it. All the misunderstandings, all the constant judgement.

If only he had killed Link when he had had the chance.

"I thought I heard you breaking the furniture again." A sudden voice made Dark yank his head up in surprise, wincing as he accidentally pulled a few hairs out. Ganondorf was stood a little way down the corridor, leant against the wall with a slight smirk curving his mouth upwards. Scowling in response Dark let his head fall back into his hands, sighing softly.

"Sorry," he muttered, eyeing the remains of the vase through his fingers. It had been the nearest breakable thing when he had warped to the castle and the temptation had been too strong.

"I doubt it was expensive," Ganondorf brushed aside the apology and Dark listened to his footsteps as he approached. "What happened this time?" Sighing again, more heavily this time, Dark ran his hands through his hair agitatedly.

"I scared someone again," he admitted slowly, just the memory making him feel ten times heavier. "And then I got attacked for no reason." Just as he had thought, this 'Sheik' really needed to be punched. In the face, preferably.

"I see," Ganondorf said slowly, his shadow falling over Dark as he halted in front of him. "I know it's hard, but just wait: there's not much time left until our plans are complete and you're free to go where and do whatever you like without judgement or fear."

"Mm." Dark made a noncommittal noise, recognising Ganondorf's attempts to make reassure him but at present unable to see past his current situation. It was hard to believe there would ever come a time where the world the man proposed came to pass.

"And I take it, then, that your mission was not successful?" Ganondorf continued, changing the topic abruptly. Moving on to the more important issue at hand.

"I underestimated Link," Dark sighed. "And you overestimated me." His mood was rapidly getting worse as he found himself having to admit to his failure as well as think about what had happened in Kakariko Village. Why, why, could things have not just gone smoothly?

"The task I set you was not an easy one," Ganondorf said, though Dark couldn't tell if he was being agreed with or disagreed with. "What happened?"

"He punched me. Twice," Dark grumbled, scowling more heavily when a deep laugh rang out in front of him.

"He certainly is one interesting kid, that brother of yours," Ganondorf said, sounding thoughtful. "But why did you return?" Hearing some of the humour leave the man's voice Dark cringed slightly.

"There was… a mishap in Kakariko Village. I was going to end up being blamed so I retreated – this is just where I ended up," he explained, glancing up at Ganondorf to find him frowning. Dark winced again, practically feeling the disappointment in the air. It made him feel so much worse than any anger ever could. "I fully intend to return – Link will be waiting for me."

"Oh, is that so?" Ganondorf queried, interest replacing the edge that had entered his words.

"Yes." Dark rose to his feet, rolling his eyes. "He's obsessed with the idea of converting me to his cause. He'll wait for me, undoubtedly."

"I see. That certainly is handy," Ganondorf said slowly, his yellow eyes boring into Dark who squirmed under his gaze. "It could present you with ample opportunities."

Feeling the guilt gnawing at his insides Dark let his shoulders slump. "Ganondorf?" His voice was pathetically small, and he was quite unable to bring himself to meet the hawk-like gaze fixed on him.

"Yes?"

"I'm really sorry. I underestimated Link and, well… I swear I won't fail again. One way or another Link will die." He ignored the way his chest tightened at the words, focusing only on his desire to not fail again. Link was practically a stranger to him; they hadn't seen one other in almost ten years. Any or all attachments to him could be cast aside easily. His ties to Ganondorf on the other hand, would not be so easily broken. He knew which he would rather keep intact.

"It's all right, Dark," Ganondorf said, drawing Dark's gaze up from the floor. "Killing your own brother is no easy task. And in the end it's only a minor setback. We still have plenty of time, and right now this 'Hero' is hardly a nuisance."

"Right," Dark mumbled, folding his arms protectively across his chest. He hated the feeling of shame that was running rampant inside him, hated knowing he had let Ganondorf down, however much time he said they had. This was the first time he had made such a grave error in his work and he hated it. All the anger in the world couldn't compare to this guilt. And there was no one to blame but himself, for being too weak to carry through with his mission. He could try to blame Link, but in the end he knew whose fault it was.

"Now, collect whatever supplies you need and return to Link's side," Ganondorf commanded, turning to walk away back up the corridor. "And Dark?"

"Yes?" Dark started at the sudden change in Ganondorf's tone, straightening abruptly as his voice turned cold and hard as diamond.

"Do not fail again."

"Right…" Dark managed, only mustering the strength to speak once Ganondorf had completely vanished from sight, ignoring the shivers that shot down his spine at the threat behind the words. He had no intention of angering Ganondorf, or incurring the sorcerer's wrath, but he got the feeling that if he screwed up again he was going to witness it first-hand. And that would not be pleasant.

Shaking himself Dark rubbed his arms to dissuade the goosebumps rising along them, stepping over the jagged remains of the vase as he headed for his chambers. He didn't care about supplies, he just needed a cloak. Anything to shelter him from the sun that he could see beginning to come out beyond the miasma around the castle.

As he went he pulled the small glass jar of red potion from the pocket he had stowed it in, watching the bright contents swirl around as he walked. So maybe the vase hadn't been the first breakable thing he had laid his hands on, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to shatter the little bottle. He very nearly had, but something had stopped him. A warm, half-forgotten feeling that somehow irritated him beyond belief.

Groaning softly at himself Dark quickened his pace. This was bad. If things continued this way then those fragile ties he had to Link weren't going to be so easily cast aside, if at all. He got the feeling they could become as important as the ones he had to Ganondorf were if left alone, and he could not have that. Link was a threat. A big one.

He would just have to strike. Immediately. Conscience and honour be damned. There was no way he was going to let Ganondorf down again, even if it meant becoming the monster everyone seemed to think he was in the process. It wasn't like he could hate himself any more than he already did.

One way or another, Link was going to die.


When Dark, clad in a new, heavy black cloak, reluctantly warped himself back to Kakariko Village he found himself stood behind the graveyard, staring at Link's back. The Hero was sat precariously on the fence that separated the Shadow Temple from the yard, playing soft tunes on his ocarina. That infuriating fairy was nowhere to be seen, for which Dark was immensely grateful.

He stared for a long moment, half expecting Link to notice him, before taking a breath and moving forward silently. The drop wasn't that high, but if Link fell awkwardly enough then maybe… It was a long shot but he could still give it a try.

Better than just stabbing him in the back. Literally.

Not giving himself any time to deliberate Dark lifted his hands, placed them against the Hero's back and pushed. Hard. Apparently he hadn't learnt his lesson the night before in regards to acting rashly. Ah well.

Link went easily, caught completely by surprise, falling with a loud, startled noise. There was a heavy thud followed by the high chirruping of a fairy, and Dark leaned over the fence to see how spectacularly this newest plan had failed. He hadn't expected it to work, but he still felt a twinge of disappointment mixed with relief when he saw Link flat on his back on the floor, blinking up at the sky. He appeared to have narrowly missed colliding with the large monument that stood at the back of the graveyard.

"What was that?!" Link yelled when he caught sight of Dark, who leaned his elbows on the fence as he stared back with slight amusement. "When did you get here?"

"A minute ago," Dark replied, resting his chin on a hand. "You look pathetic."

"Whose fault is that?" Link grouched, frowning slightly. "Did you warp like me? I didn't notice you at all."

"Something like that," Dark said slowly, not having any desire to explain to Link that he could transport himself via shadows. It wasn't something he enjoyed doing, and while it was certainly handy it only served to reinforce the fact that he was different. After all, what normal Hylian could merge with shadows and travel around in them?

"So why'd you push me?" Link asked, sitting up slowly as his fairy danced around his head. "Also, where've you been? And what's up with the cloak?"

"For fun, at the castle, and it's to keep off the sun," Dark replied sagely, watching Link struggle with that for a moment. "You don't half ask a lot of questions, do you?" Link pulled a face at him, not replying.

"Wait, why were you at the castle?" He eventually asked, standing and brushing his clothes down as he craned his head back to look at Dark.

"I wonder," Dark said, unable to stop himself from winding the Hero up. Irritating Link made him feel a little better, in a twisted kind of way. A way to vent his frustration by handing it off to someone else instead of actually hurting that someone.

"Oh, reporting to your master were you?" Link's frown became a scowl as Dark rolled his eyes, leaning a little more heavily on the fence. "Planning ways you can brutally murder me?"

"Think what you like," Dark said as he waved a hand lazily. "I just went to get another cloak, seeing as someone left my other one behind in the Water Temple."

"Is that seriously what's important right now? You were just off hanging out with the guy who's trying to destroy Hyrule and the cloak's what you're worried about?" Link demanded, deepening his scowl and waving his arms angrily for emphasis.

"Unlike you, avoiding the sun is a bigger priority for me than avoiding Ganondorf is," Dark replied coolly, finding himself becoming increasingly frustrated with Link's deliberate misunderstandings. Maybe if he just explained the situation then Link would stop being so irritating. The problem was he didn't want to.

"I don't get you at all," Link grumbled, his expression softening slightly in his confusion.

"I assure you, the feeling is mutual," Dark answered swiftly, earning himself a dirty look before Link had warped himself onto the platform in front of the temple. Turning to face him Dark leaned back against the fence, thinking.

Temples were dangerous places, full of monsters, traps and all manner of surprises. If he couldn't find a good opportunity to end the Hero's life inside the Shadow Temple of all places then he would simply have to resort to the underhanded methods he, at present, just couldn't bring himself to utilise. He would steel himself inside the temple, and if Link still wasn't dead by the time they left he would be ready.

He would have to be.

"Are you gonna follow me into the temple?" Link asked, breaking Dark out of his reverie.

"But of course," Dark replied, folding his arms. "You sound worried. And here I thought you wanted me to stay with you."

"Shut up," the Hero grumbled, jamming his hands into his pockets. "I just want you away from Ganondorf and not trying to kill me."

"Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to pick one or the other, because it's highly unlikely both will happen," Dark said, smirking slightly at the frustration on Link's face. If he could just shut out his emotions, sever those ties he had to the Hero, then he would be fine.

It was hard, though, when he had seven years of warm memories preventing him from doing so. Of all the memories he had of his time in the forest with the Kokiri the brightest were undoubtedly the ones that featured Link. The ones of a bright, cheerful young boy who was always there, who always cared. The ones of the only person who had truly never cared what Dark was, what he was undoubtedly destined to be. There might have been resentment mixed in there, along with the occasional thought of hatred, but never enough to mar the brightness that was, in his eyes, Link. He was as light as Dark was, well, dark.

"Goddesses, you're infuriating," Dark muttered quietly, more to himself than anything else.

"Where'd that come from?" Link demanded, expression once more crumpling into a frown. "You're just as annoying."

Dark rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking to you, so don't pay me any mind," he said, shaking his head. "Don't you have a spirit to vanquish?"

"Right, right. 'Hurry along so and get yourself killed', right?" Link said, turning to face the gaping hole in the wall behind him.

"Well, that would certainly help me," Dark said, watching the slight tension rise into Link's shoulders and telling himself that he didn't feel a thing. Letting himself relax he blocked all thoughts of emotion from his mind, simply moving to stand beside the Hero as he tucked his hands inside his sleeves.

"I know you're trying to kill me and all, but if you're really gonna follow me in here then be careful, 'kay?" Link's voice was childishly grumpy, but Dark could tell he was sincere. "Temples are dangerous."

"You don't need to look out for me – I can handle myself perfectly well," Dark replied, pulling his hands a little further into his sleeves.

"Yeah, I know. Just don't let yourself get distracted when you're trying to kill me. I'd hate to get you back only to have you die on me."

"Thank you for that vote of confidence, but I'm quite capable of focusing on two things at once. And you didn't 'get me back' – you don't own me. I'm not an item you can just acquire," Dark said, frowning slightly. Who did Link think he was?

"You're my brother – that's kinda the same thing, right?" Link said, and Dark thought he heard the fairy sigh slightly as he groaned softly in response. The goddesses had seriously misjudged when they had made this idiot their champion. "I wonder what your master would think about that, though?"

"For the last time, Ganondorf is not my master," Dark snapped, turning to glare at the Hero. "And I'm no more an item for him to use than I am for you."

"Huh." Link made a long, drawn out humming sound which sounded distinctly sceptical and Dark sucked in a deep breath, wiping away the scowl rising to his face as he struggled to maintain his emotionless state.

"I'm going to stab you Link, I swear," he said flatly, feeling rather than seeing the tension that filled the Hero in response. "If you keep that up I won't hold back."

"Hey, I was just saying," Link protested, lifting his hands in a shrug. "You got pretty defensive, huh?" Dark lifted a hand to the handle of his sword, still staring blankly at the hole in the wall before him. Link waved his hands, lifting them a little higher. "Whoa, calm down. I don't want to punch you again, and you don't want to stab me-"

"That's highly debatable," Dark interrupted, gripping the handle a little tighter.

"-Much," Link resumed hastily. "So let's just go into the temple and try not to die." Sighing softly Dark relinquished his grip on the sword. He was suddenly finding it surprisingly easy to wrap his head around the idea of killing Link, though there was still a small part of him vehemently refusing to even consider it.

"Let's go then," he prompted when Link didn't move. When he got no reply he looked to the Hero, who was staring intently at the dark hole in the wall with a frown on his face. He suddenly looked a little pale.

The concerned words were on the tip of Dark's tongue before he swallowed them down, reminding himself that he didn't care.

"Right," Link said after a moment, visibly steeling himself. Apparently he wasn't looking forward to the Shadow Temple in the slightest, though Dark couldn't see what was all that bad about it. He was quietly impressed, then, when Link turned to him with what seemed to be a genuine grin plastered across his face.

"Let's go," he said, not waiting for an answer as he headed through the entrance. Dark sighed softly and followed.